Putin: Russia is ready to fight a war with Europe

Russia is ready to fight a war with Europe but does not want this war, and there will be no winners in such a war at all.

As reported by Interfax, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this at a press conference following the Russia-Africa summit, commenting on his recent conversation with the leaders of Norway and Finland.

"Many are only talking about preparing for war (with Russia) by 2030. Is this the right approach? No. We are, first of all, ready, but we do not want any war with Europe, and if anyone wants one, let them prepare," the Russian leader noted.

The president warned proponents of war with Russia: "They have not achieved their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia now, and it is unlikely this will be possible by 2030 either." "And if things go too far, there will be no winners at all. Let no one forget about that," Putin emphasized.

According to the Russian president, Moscow is ready to respond to any challenge in the Baltic Sea but does not wish to create tensions there. Putin stressed that the issue of security in the Baltic was raised during a telephone conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

He emphasized that Russia does not want a situation to develop in the Baltic similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. "We do not want that. But we will respond to any challenge," the Russian president stated.